1971 [Personal Ranks]

Intro To Re-Structure of Film Rankings
After some hedging on the issue, I’ve decided to drastic alter the way I rank and critique films and any motion picture work. The problem is simple – the 10/10, 5/5 system etc. are useless to properly rank cinema’s virtue unless its only the artistic qualities are prioritized first. Overeager viewing reactions have undermined opinions of mine, as well as trying to praise films that I was disappointed by. If there’s an issue with the re-structuring, its that I’m having to change ratings for films I may have seen at least six years ago only. But the concept of critical opinion is as much a guess as it is…
Read more

Intro To Re-Structure of Film Rankings
After some hedging on the issue, I’ve decided to drastic alter the way I rank and critique films and any motion picture work. The problem is simple – the 10/10, 5/5 system etc. are useless to properly rank cinema’s virtue unless its only the artistic qualities are prioritized first. Overeager viewing reactions have undermined opinions of mine, as well as trying to praise films that I was disappointed by. If there’s an issue with the re-structuring, its that I’m having to change ratings for films I may have seen at least six years ago only. But the concept of critical opinion is as much a guess as it is a well judged analysis, amateur or profession. Sight & Sound’s Greatest Film poll was littered with personal entries from critics and filmmakers who admitted to the erratic skips, sudden changes in passion, you can have with films. This system is more meant to prioritise the virtue of full cinema, where everything onscreen is well crafted or distinct. Where every cut in the editing stands out, where the virtues of all the aspects are respected, and where the films celebrated are those where even the flaws are virtues because they become birthmarks that add character to them. It should encounrage that greater virtue of “difficult” films and filmmakers over the obvious. It should stop me from hoarding films on DVD that I don’t need but pretended I did. It will deflate the media circus that runs for certain films each year, seeing them as the Second Coming of cinephilia, in favour of asking what I felt were the best films, beyond termites to even the dug beetles of the art form. I can still celebrate films considered bad or awful as being more rewarding, but the artistry of truly great films will not be taken for granted. Anything can be ranked on here. Feature films. Short films. Music videos. Television works. Viral videos. Porn. Anything with moving images, and even then Chris Marker proved that the image didn’t need to move to be truly cinematic.

[Note = Bare in mind these ratings will contradict some of those I’ve ranked films on this site. Those will be fixed, and even then, just ignore the old ones from before the 14th February 2014 for each year I get through.]

Ranking System

100 = Platinum (Masterpieces)

90 = Gold (Incredible Films)

80 = Silver (Fantastic Films)

70 = Bronze (Great Films)

60 = Canon (Good Films that deserve to be remembered. Ones that show you the scope of a director, genre etc.)

50 = Peculiars (Not middling. Good films that just happened to miss a few marks. Guilty pleasures I don’t fin guilty. Oddities. Perversities. Things that are more likely to tell you what cinema is that a respectable “A-film”.)

40 = Average (You laugh, you guage with the story etc., but once you leave the theatre the gaping flaws are obvious)

30 = Per Usual (Dull, usually unoriginal films. Award winning films that state the complete obvious. Overrated genre films. Duds and failed movies that give you nothing of real interest.)

20 = Bad (Dull films that are legitimately poor in quality)

10 = Worthless (My own Seven Gates of Hell of the most loathsome films I’ve seen)

Films can only be added to Platinum status if I’ve seen them twice or more. Any film can go up or down in the listings on multiple watches. Recommendations and films you feel I’ve dismissed to hastily can be suggested for me to see. Any factual mistakes such as for dates will be corrected if you let me know of them.